On Apr. 12, 2021, Oxford University reported that early treatment with inhaled budesonide shortened recovery time by a median of three days in patients with COVID-19 who are at higher risk of more severe illness and are treated in the community. Inhaled budesonide is a safe, relatively inexpensive and readily available corticosteroid commonly used around the world in inhalers to treat asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It was added to the PRINCIPLE trial on 28th November 2020.